Speed Dating
by VikingDane
Summary: AU - SasuSaku - What happens when Ino blackmails Sakura into participating in a speed dating event with her? Read and find out ! Rated T for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Sometimes Ino could really drive me crazy! She blackmailed me into participating in some stupid speed dating event! She told me that if I didn't come with her, she would tell my parents about the time I sneaked out when I was grounded. Ugh! They would ground me again if they knew. And probably even longer than before. You see, my parents are really strict when it comes to lying and breaking their rules.

So, there I was… sitting at a small table, waiting for the event to begin.

"All right, everyone. This is how it's going to be: The ladies will be seated in one place, while the gentlemen will switch place every five minutes." The host announced. "If a couple feels that they want to get to know each other better, they are free to go to the restaurant right next door, where a paid dinner will be waiting. Right then, let's begin!"

I sighed. This might've be fun, if I hadn't been forced to participate, that is.

I looked up as the first guy sat down on the other side of the small table. "Hi. Naruto here. So what's your name?" His smile was broad and in all honesty he seemed a bit too energetic for his own good.

"Um, Sakura. Nice to meet you… I guess." A forced smile made its way to my lips. I couldn't help it. This was just too weird, meeting guys like this.

Naruto stared at me for a while. It didn't really bother me. It saved me from having to talk to him all that much. "Woow, you're really pretty, Sakura-chan." That's, umm, random, really.

"Thank you, Naruto." As the five minutes passed by, the forced smile never seemed to leave my face. He didn't seem to notice that it was forced, though.

The bell rang and Naruto got up, but before he left for the next table, he flashed a big smile.

Nice guy, but not really boyfriend material. Not for me, anyway.

The next guy sat down in front of me and winked at me. "Hi. So how about we just get out of here right now?"

"Excuse me?" I said with a raised eyebrow. This guy was definitely not for me.

"We could skip the dinner too, if you'd like." He winked at me again. He's disgusting.

"I'm not some cheap whore, you know!" I found it hard to restrain myself from hitting this guy square in the face.

The guy glared at me and we sat in silence until the bell rang for the second time. I let out a sigh of relief as he left the table. *I'm gonna kill you, Ino!*

The next few guys were just plain boring. *I guess I shouldn't expect much from this kind of event. What're the odds of finding a boyfriend at this kind of place, anyway?*

"Seems like you could use a break."

I looked up as I heard the next guy speak. "You have no idea." I replied with a sigh.

As he sat down I got a better look at the guy and he's actually quite handsome; tall, good facial features, dark spiky hair. I wondered what type of person he was. And just like that, I found myself thanking Ino for dragging me there.

"I take it you're not really into this either?"

"Yeah, I was blackmailed by a friend." I replied. "And you?"

"Parents." His answer was short. *Maybe he's not the talkative type?*

"Your parents forced you to speed date? Why?" That sounded like an outright lie to me.

"I'm turning 20 next week and if I haven't found a girl to marry by then, they're choosing her for me. I can't live with that, so they told me to attend all these speed dating events to find someone. So annoying." He scowled. I would too, if I was in his situation.

"Why would they do that? Force you to marry before you turn 20, I mean. It seems a bit old-fashioned, to be honest."

"Family tradition." What a strange tradition to uphold.

"But… don't you have a say in the matter? It's your life, after all."

"Not really." He shrugged, like it didn't really matter to him.

As the bell rang I found myself feeling disappointed. He was really easy to talk to, despite the short answers he provided me with.

I opened my mouth to let him now it was nice meeting him, when he beat me to it. "Want to leave?" He looked at me and I was captivated by his dark eyes.

"S-sure." As far as I could remember, I'd never stuttered when talking to a guy before. That was new.

We both got up and I followed him out of the door. Earlier, I saw some of the other couples leave hand in hand. The fact that this guy didn't take my hand when we first got up showed me that he wasn't the biggest fan of sweet, romantic gestures.

However, he did hold the door for me when we came to the restaurant. I guess, I wasn't as good at reading people as I thought I was. At least not this guy. That reminded me that I didn't know his name. Our conversation earlier had started so quickly that I had completely forgotten about it.

"My name is Sakura Haruno, by the way." I said as I entered the restaurant.

"Sasuke Uchiha." I heard him answer as he followed behind me. At the time, I didn't think much about his name. It wasn't a usual name, but I realize now that I should've known who he was, just by hearing his name.

We went to the reception desk, where a waiter stood, ready to take us to our table. "A table for two. Umm, we're from the event next door." I hesitantly said to waiter.

He nodded and wrote something down in a type of logbook on the desk. "This way, please." We followed the waiter to a table by the windows. "I will be back to take your order in a few minutes." He kindly smiled and left us.

"Have you ever been to this restaurant before?" I asked once we had taken our seats.

"A few times." He replied and opened the menu that was placed in front of him.

"Any recommendations then?"

Sasuke looked at me for a few seconds, as if he was studying me. He took the menu from my hands and smirked at me. That smirk was… sexy. There was no other word for it. I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks.

"I'll order for you."

"Oh, umm, okay."

At that moment he could have said anything and I would agree. I bet he knew that, 'cause his smirk was still in place.

Before I knew it the waiter was back to take our order.

"One _Poulet sauté au vinaigre _and one _Boeuf bourguignon_. And for dessert—" Sasuke was cut off by the waiter.

"I'm sorry, sir, but the event only pays for the main course."

"That's not a problem. I'll pay for it myself." He stated. "For dessert, a _Cherry clafoutis_. That's all." The waiter bowed his head and left once again.

"Are we sharing the dessert?" I asked, confused that he only ordered one and not two desserts.

"Of course not. It's for you." "In that case I can't let you pay for it." I stated. That was just wrong; letting him pay for something he wasn't even going to eat.

Sasuke leaned forward in his seat and with his elbows on the table he let his chin rest on top of his folded hands. **(AN: You know, like he does in the series. I love it when he does that ;b)** "And why is that?"

It was difficult for me to concentrate on what he asked me, when he looked at me like that; his dark eyes were so... so... enchanting. I shook my head, trying to focus and I swear I heard him chuckle. I bet he knew what he was doing to me. "Umm, I just think it's wrong to let you pay, when you're not getting any of it."

"It's fine. I don't like desserts, anyway. Besides, I have enough money to spare, so don't think about it."

"Oh, well, okay." I never felt good about letting other people pay for me. It felt like I was taking advantage of them.

Five minutes later the waiter returned with our food and we ate in silence.  
When we were done and my dessert came, I felt way too self conscious. Sasuke had his chin resting on his hands again, while he was looking at me.  
"You said earlier that you were blackmailed by a friend into coming today. What was the blackmail?" He asked, curiousness showing in his eyes.

"She would tell my parents that I sneaked out when I was grounded once." I said, laughing nervously.

"That's not so bad. Couldn't you just let her tell them?"

"No. You see, my parents are really strict when it comes to lying to them. I would end up getting grounded for a month or so. Besides, Ino would've just thought of something else. That's the downside of having her as a best friend; she remembers every bad thing I've done." I sighed.

He smirked again. "So you're a bad girl, huh?"

I'm sure my face turned a shade or two darker. "I-I... umm..."

He chuckled then. "Relax. I'm kidding." After that he fell silent, letting me eat my dessert.

"It's delicious." I said, after the first taste of it.

A genuine smile showed on his face. "I'm glad you like it."

A quarter of an hour later we leave the restaurant and we ended up just walking around town together, talking about this and that. Suddenly it hits me. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

As we walk I start fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. "Umm, your parents... are they expecting you to find a girl before your birthday...? Or marry a girl before your birthday?" I knew he could figure out why I asked. You had to be retarded not to be able to figure that out.

"Marry. Why do you ask?"

I raised a brow in surprise. Couldn't he figure it out?! "I thought that would be obvious."

"It is. I just want to hear you say it." He replies, smirking.

"Oh. Umm, I just... Well..." I couldn't say it. It was too embarrassing. We'd only known each other for two hours or so. I suppose that _is_ the point of speed dating; quickly finding someone you might be interested in.

Suddenly Sasuke stopped and took my hand to stop me as well. He didn't let go of it once he had stopped me, though. He looked me in the eyes. "I want to hear you say it." He repeated.

"I-I don't... I don't know how to say something like that." I admitted, averting my eyes.

"You've never told a guy that you're interested in him?" he questioned.

I looked at him again, checking if he was mocking me, but he wasn't. His expression was serious. I shook my head. "I've never liked anyone like that." *Until now, anyway.* I added in my head.

Sasuke chuckled lightly. "So you're completely innocent."

"Are you making fun of me?" I asked, offended by his words.

"Of course not." He squeezed my hand gently. "Actually, I quite like that."

"You do?" I was surprised. Most guys I've met only want the experienced girls. That was probably the reason why I'd never been in love before.

He nodded and started walking again, never letting go of my hand.

Not long after, the sun started to set. "I think I better get home soon."

"Let me walk you home then."

I smiled to myself, as we had more time together this way. "Thank you."

In my opinion we arrived at my house way too quickly. "So, umm..." I was nervous. I wanted to see him again, but I didn't have the guts to ask for his number.

"Here." He said, handing me a small, business-like card. "My number. Send me text, so I have yours too, okay?"

"I will." I smiled and let go of his hand to head inside. "Bye." And then I was inside. I sighed in bliss. This day had turned out better than I expected. I immediately ran up into my room and closed the door. I had to call Ino, though I knew she would tell me to thank her for bringing me, but she was my best friend; I had to tell her what had happened. Before I called her, though, I took out my phone and registered Sasuke's number in my phone.

**To: Sasuke **  
**Subject: Thank you **

**Hi, I really enjoyed spending time with you today. **

**Sakura**

Too anxious to wait and see if he even answered I called Ino immediately after sending the message. Only one beep sounded before she answered.

"Sakura, where are you?"

"I'm at home. Ino, I need to tell you something." I said, my voice shaking slightly with the joy of liking someone for the first time.

"You met a guy!" It was more of a statement than a question. "I knew it was a good idea to take you with me! So! Is he handsome?" I could hear the excitement in her voice.

"Yeah. Ino, he's so perfect. He's sweet and thoughtful and so incredibly sexy!"

"You're so lucky, Sakura. Did you get his number?"

"I did. I sent him a text just before I called you."

"What are you doing talking to me then? Hang up and talk to him instead!"

"But there's something else."

"What?"

"He has to get married next week."

"What do you mean 'has to'?"

"As in he has to find a girl to marry before his birthday next week. I'm not sure I'm ready to get into something that serious."

"How old is he?"

"It's his 20th birthday. His parents are forcing him to get married. And if he doesn't marry a girl by his birthday, they will find one for him."

"Think about it like this then: If you want him, get him. If not, then don't see him at all. There's no point if you don't want him. You have a week or he'll marry someone else."

"That's not really helping me..."

"Sorry, sweetie. But you do have to make a decision."

"I know..." I sighed. "See you later, Ino."

"Sure. Bye."

I hung up the phone and looked at the screen. There was one new message. From him.

** To: Sakura **  
**Subject: You're welcome **

**I want to see you again. **

**Sasuke**

My heart skipped a beat when I saw the message. He wants to see me again. I couldn't help but smile like an idiot. Okay, I admit it: I was totally head over heels in love with this guy. I didn't know how in such a short time, but it happened. And I accepted that.

** To: Sasuke **  
**Subject: I: **

**When? **

**Sakura**

Waiting for his reply was excruciating. I'd never been good at waiting. But finally – after 1 minute, I realize after looking at the clock – my phone beeped.

**To: Sakura **  
**Subject: Blushing? **

**Tomorrow at 3 o'clock? **

**Sasuke**

I spent no time thinking of my reply.

**To: Sasuke **  
**Subject: Maybe **

**Sure. Where? **

**Sakura**

Waiting, waiting, waiting!

**To: Sakura **  
**Subject: Can't wait to see it again **

**You'll have to wait and see. I'll pick you up at your house. **

**Sasuke**


	2. Chapter 2

**Before the chapter begins I'd like to thank those who reviewed the first chapter. If not for you guys I wouldn't have continued the story ^^**

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I didn't fall asleep before 2 o'clock that night. I kept thinking about thinking about Sasuke. But eventually I did fall asleep.  
When I finally woke up, however, I found that it was already 1 o'clock. I stared at the clock; I'd never slept that long on a Sunday before. Of course it had to happen the day I had a date with Sasuke. I hurried out of bed and into the bathroom for a thorough shower.

Then I panicked. I didn't know where we were going, so what was I supposed to know what to wear.

*Okay. Think. The date is in the afternoon, so it's probably not dinner. Not anything too fancy then.* I rummaged through my closet and ended up with a pair of jeans and a regular t-shirt. Nice, but not too fancy. I didn't want to look like I was trying too hard. Scaring the first guy I've ever liked away wasn't something I was interested in doing.

I looked at the clock and there was now only 15 minutes left until he would be picking me up. I went downstairs and while waiting I informed my mom I was heading out soon. "Mom, I have a date in a moment and I don't know when—"

"You have a date?!" my mom interrupted me, a smile on her face. "You've never had a date before. Where are you going? Is he picking you up? Is he handsome?" she was definitely excited for me.

"Mom, relax, will you? Anyways, I don't know where we're going. He said I'd have to wait and see."

"It's probably something romantic. You have to—" The doorbell rang then.

"That's probably him. I'll be going then." I went to open the door and there he was, as handsome as ever. "Hi."

"Hey. Ready to go?"

"Oh, Sakura, what a handsome young man!"

"Mom!" I sighed, embarrassed. "Come on, Sasuke. Let's go." I took Sasuke's hand and dragged him out the door. I heard my mom giggle behind us and close the door.

"I'm so sorry. My mom gets sort of crazy when it comes to anything remotely romantic."

"That's okay. Mine is just like that as well."

"So where are we going?" I asked, looking back at him and forgetting about my crazy mom.

He chuckled. "It's still a surprise." He said, handing me a helmet that had been placed on his motorbike.

I hadn't noticed the motorbike before he had handed me the helmet. "A… A motorbike, huh?" I said, followed by a nervous laugh. I wasn't nervous about the motorbike itself, more the fact that when riding two on a motorbike, would mean I had to wrap my arms around him to not fall off, which meant we would be pressed against each other.

"Nervous?" He was teasing me again…

"N-no. Of course not."

He took on his own helmet and climbed on. "Then hop on."

When I had put the helmet on and placed myself behind him – while shaking with nerves, I might add – he reached behind himself, took hold of my wrists and wrapped them around his stomach. "And remember to hold on tight the whole time." He added.

Though I couldn't see his face, I knew he was smirking. I prayed my mom wasn't watching from the kitchen window.

When he was sure I had a tight enough hold on him, he started the engine and sped off. If I could concentrate on anything else but Sasuke's presence, I would've been wondering where we were going.

When we finally stopped I didn't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed.  
Looking around I saw that we were at the zoo. I couldn't help but smile. I hadn't been at the zoo for ages! The last time I was there, was probably when I was 9 or 10.

I took off the helmet and got off the bike and waited for Sasuke to secure it, and then we headed inside the zoo.

When we reached the entrance and Sasuke took out his wallet, I realized I hadn't brought any money. *How stupid can you get!* I scolded myself. I should have expected the date to be somewhere you had to use money.

"Umm, I forgot to bring any money…"

"Don't worry, I've got it covered." He said and paid the woman behind the counter.

"I promise I'll pay you back. I can't keep letting you spend your money on me like this." I wrote a mental note to pay him back the moment he dropped me off later today.

"Like I said yesterday: I've got enough money to spare." He put his wallet back into his back-pocket and grabbed the tickets and the folder from the counter.

"What? Are you rich or something?" I said, laughing. It was only a joke, but he didn't say anything. Not even a short laugh, so I looked up at him. He seemed to be avoiding my eyes. "Y-you're rich?" I couldn't believe it. I mean, it was obvious that he wasn't poor, but rich?

"Let's just get going." He said, walking ahead of me.

I ran up in front of him and stopped him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He glared down at me. "Because all everybody seems to care about is the money."

My eyes widened and I couldn't help but get angry. "You think I care about that kind of stuff? I mean, yeah, you're rich and that's nice for you, but how dare you assume I'm that superficial? You could be stinking poor for all I care." I couldn't believe this. I sighed. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Meeting someone during a speed dating event was too good to be true.

He still wasn't saying anything nor looking at me for that matter. "If that's what you think of me, then I might as well leave." I walked past him towards the exit, but stopped again and turned around. "Text me your address and I'll stop by with the money I owe you." I turned around again and walked away. The first guy I'd ever liked thought I would only be after his money.

The whole way home I felt angry, hurt and confused. How could he think that about me?!  
Half an hour later I was finally home. The first thing I did was find my wallet and dig up the right amount of money to cover for the ticket and the dessert he bought for me the day before. Then I rummaged through the drawers in my dad's office for an envelope, put the money in there and wrote his name on the envelope.

As I wrote his name, I realized that I had heard that name before. Uchiha. I put the envelope aside and turned on my dad's computer – since I was already in there and all.

Once it was up and running I searched on the name 'Uchiha' and I gaped when I saw the results. Sasuke's father was the CEO for the biggest company in Japan. He wasn't just rich, he was filthy rich.

What had I gotten myself into? At least, I had quit before it got too serious. I didn't belong with a guy like Sasuke, anyway. He probably had maids and butlers doing his every bidding. He didn't seem like a stuck up rich boy, though. That was something, at least.

Then I found myself thinking that if I hadn't found out, then what if he had gotten to know me and gotten bored of me, because I wasn't like the other girls he used to go out with. And then the tears came rolling down.

"Is the date already over?" My mom suddenly stood in the doorway, looking at me. "Sweetie, are you crying? What happened?" she was quickly beside me, hugging me.

"I-it ended before it even began… I'm not right for him, mom… It's two totally different worlds…" As I said it, it sounded extremely cliché, but it was the only thing that really fit.

"He said that to you? That you weren't right for him?"

"…Well, no, but… he purposely didn't tell me he's rich, because he thought I would only think about his money and not him… That's just—" the door bell rang then.

My mom got up to answer the door.

"Mom, no! What if it's Sasuke?!"

"Sweetie, you have to talk to him."

"I can't!" I picked up the envelope and handed it to her. "If it's Sasuke, just give him this. Please!"

She sighed. "Fine. But you have to talk to him some time, sweetie." She left then.

"I know." I whispered to myself. I got up to listen at the door.

"Hi, Sasuke." I could hear that she was smiling.

"Hello, Mrs. Haruno. I'm sorry to intrude, but I was wondering if I could speak to your daughter for a moment?" *Wow, he's really formal.* He really was a good guy.

"I'm really sorry, Sasuke, but she isn't feeling—"

"Mrs. Haruno, I did something I shouldn't have and I'd like to apologize to her." He sounded so sincere…

"That's so sweet, Sasuke, but… well, she asked me to give you this." I bit my lip as she gave it to him, wondering how he would react.

"She really did pay me back." I heard him say. "Even for the dessert yesterday…" It didn't sound like he'd expected that.

"She gave you money?"

"I paid for a dessert for her yesterday and for her ticket today, but she insisted on paying me back…"

"You're such a gentleman, Sasuke." It was easy to hear that my mom adored him. "Excuse me for a second."

Seconds later she came into the office again. "Sakura, come talk to him."

"Can't you just please make him go?" I pleaded with her, but she gave me that stern mother look, that's impossible to get around. I sighed. "Okay, okay."  
I stepped out of the office and saw him standing there in the doorway. "H-hi…" I hesitantly walked towards him.

"Sakura, I…" He sighed and took a deep breath. Maybe it was difficult for him to say these things? He probably wasn't used to apologizing. "I didn't mean to hurt you by keeping it a secret. I wanted to know if you were like the others before I told you anything. And the thing is… well… I don't think you are… Like the others, I mean." He scratched the back of his head. "Sakura, I'm really not good at this, but… the point is that I'm really sorry. And, well… I'd like to give this, us, a shot. What do you say?"

I was quiet for a while, thinking it over. It did sound like he really meant it and I got the feeling that he didn't apologize very often. I broke into a smile. "Okay, I'd like that too. But I want to pay for myself from now on, alright?"

"What if I want to spoil my girlfriend?" His smirk was back.

"I guess that's fine." I leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "But don't overdo it, okay?"

His smirk turned into a genuine smile as he promised me. "So, wanna go catch a movie and save the zoo for another time?"

"Sure." I quickly put on my shoes and grabbed my jacket from the hanger beside the door.


End file.
